Nowadays, you don’t need to know how to code to build something cool online. We put together a collection of 7 handy tools you can use to build an app (or maybe just a prototype) without a line of code.
These days, it’s hard to launch a startup without knowing how to code—or hiring someone who does. But, when you have basically no budget early in your company’s life, it isn’t always feasible to drop five figures (or more) on hiring a web or app developer.
Luckily, there are so many great tools on the market now to help you build a website or app without needing to write a single line of code. They are definitely time and money savers if you’re looking to launch on a dime, and fast. Here are seven of the Product Hunt community’s favorite “no code required” programming tools.
1. Bubble
Build a fully functional web app without any code.
The goal of Bubble is to make programming obsolete with its visual programming tool that allows you to build web and mobile applications without any code. The intuitive drag and drop builder allows you to easily add page elements like: text, videos, maps, icons, images, buttons, and more. Everything is customizable, down to font colors, icons, and the visibility of various elements based on what’s going on in the app you design.
The workflow-based programming enables you to define exactly what happens, action by action. You can define your own data structures, build your your logic (e.g. if the user click on X button while logged in, do Y; otherwise, do A), and allow your users to upload their own content.
Bubble also connects to a bunch of other popular services, like MailChimp (to auto-subscribe users to your mailing lists) and Mixpanel (to track activity on your app, including who your users are and what they do). This is a fantastic tool for those who are looking to launch a website or app seamlessly. The tool is completely free to build; you only pay for it once your audience starts to grow.
2. Pixate
Design native mobile app prototypes without code.
Pixate is a great tool to use if you’re looking to build a 100% native prototype so you can experience your ideas on a device as though you would if they were real. You can add interaction and animation to your design with just a few clicks, all without any code.
This is a beloved tool used by designers who want to validate ideas quickly without building out an actual native mobile app. It will fundamentally change the way you prototype and test. Highly recommended if you’re looking to launch or optimize an app in the near future.
3. Treeline
Build a backend without writing code.
Treeline hasn’t officially launched yet, but it’s sure to be a hit once it does. This tool is designed to help you build an enterprise-grade backend in hours (as opposed to months). It’ll help you architect your back-end as a set of small, reusable, well-tested modules. Here is a short list of some of the things you can do with Treeline:
- Send HTTP requests
- Encrypt or compare passwords
- Work with Javascript code strings
- Access the ElasticSearch API in Node.js
- Communicate with the YouTube API to get video views, etc.
- Communicate with the Stripe APO to charge credit cards, etc.
- Communicate with Facebook to authenticate, pull profile data, and more
4. Tilda Publishing
Build beautiful websites and tell stories without any code.
Tilda is a website building platform geared toward content-oriented sites. There are over 170 pre-designed blocks that enable you to drag and drop your way toward a fully customizable website. All pages you create with this tool are built to look great across all devices, which is a nice thing to not have to worry about as a non-coder.
The pages are definitely optimized to be visually beautiful, with a focus on typography and imagery that will delight your visitors—and also look beautiful and rich. And, if you’re looking to optimize your site, you can build compelling call-to-action pages, connect your Google analytics account, and make your page search engine friendly.
This is a fantastic option for those looking to build blogs, lookbooks, event reports, and more.
5. Webflow CMS
Build professional dynamic websites without any code.
This is an incredible visual content management system (CMS) tool. All you have to do is tell Webflow what kind of content you want to build (e.g. blog posts, portfolio pieces, recipes, etc.) and customize the site structure accordingly. There are a bunch of pre-existing templates available, as well, do it’s easy to get started if you have no idea what you’re doing.
This is a great way to design hundreds of pages quickly—for example, you can create a single template for “blog posts,” and that design will automatically apply to every item you label as a blog post. You can also write and edit right on the live website and your content will update automatically, which is pretty sweet. This is a fantastic website builder option that will delight you with its simple UX and easy design navigation.
6. Webflow 3D Transforms
Build 3D interactions visually without writing any code.
Well, this is pretty damn cool. Webflow 3D Transforms was created by the Webflow team (see above), and it’s best-in-class. If you’re looking to create 3D CSS transforms, this is the tool to use. You can have page elements move, rotate, or apply perspective to make your 3D animations really stand out.
Some of the cool features you can build: a card-flip interaction, a 3D layered effect, and an isometric tilt. If you have no idea what any of that stuff is, then this tool is probably perfect for you.
7. Cloudpress
Create unique responsive WordPress sites without coding.
CloudPress helps you create unique, responsive WordPress sites—no coding necessary. There are over 80 predefined blogs built by the team’s designers that help you prototype pages in literally minutes. Every page created with ThemeBuilder is based on a fluid grid layout, so each of them will naturally adapt to the size of the screen, ensuring that your page looks good no matter what size screen someone is viewing it on.
You’ll have full control over every detail on the site you build, including: dimensions, typography, web fonts, backgrounds, and effects. This is a great option if you’re specifically looking to build a page on the WordPress CMS platform.
We hope you can find great use in the tools above to build whatever it is you’ve been putting off because you aren’t a superstar coder. These sites make it super easy to get started today—and we can’t wait to see what you do with them. Happy building!